The United Nations (UN) Security Council on Monday, the 24th of February, adopted a US-drafted resolution marking the third year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, taking a neutral stance on the conflict. Meanwhile, US efforts to scrap a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine failed, reports Reuters.
The 15-member UN Security Council has been unable to act throughout the war because of the Russian veto, but the 193-member General Assembly has repeatedly backed Ukraine. Security Council resolutions are considered binding, while General Assembly resolutions are not binding, but they have political weight and reflect world opinion.
Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, acknowledged that the US position on the conflict has “changed constructively”.
He said that the resolution was not a “perfect solution” but a “starting point for further efforts to reach a peaceful settlement”.
The US resolution deplored the loss of life in the “Russia-Ukraine conflict”, reiterated that the UN aims to maintain international peace and security and to resolve disputes peacefully, and called for a swift end to the conflict and for a lasting peace.
The Security Council adopted the US resolution with ten votes in favour, with France, Great Britain, Denmark, Greece and Slovenia abstaining. Russia voted in favour after failing to amend it but vetoed European proposals to add language supporting Ukraine.
“This resolution sets us on the path to peace. It is a first but decisive step that we should all be proud of,” said Dorothy Shea, acting US ambassador to the UN. “Now we must use it to build a peaceful future for Ukraine, Russia and the international community.”
But the General Assembly adopted two resolutions. One, proposed by Ukraine, the United Kingdom and most European Union member states, held Russia directly responsible for three years of conflict.
It was voted in favour by 93 countries, with 65 abstentions and 18 votes against. In addition to the US, Russia, North Korea and Israel voted against.
The Trump administration had lobbied allies to vote against it, arguing that condemning the invasion would not ensure peace between the two countries. It persuaded some countries, including Hungary and Costa Rica, to withdraw their votes, but this did not change the outcome.
And the other, a US-drafted resolution, amended by the Assembly to include its long-held language of support for Ukraine, which was adopted by a narrow margin – 93 countries voted in favour, 73 abstained, including the US, and eight voted against.
Russia failed in its attempt to amend the US text to include a reference to the “root causes” of the conflict.
The acting US ambassador to the United Nations described the initial US version of the resolution as “a simple historic statement from the General Assembly that looks forward, not backwards. A resolution that focuses on one simple idea: end the war.”
But Ukraine and other European allies warned that a statement without condemnation would undermine the UN’s commitment to human rights in the face of allegations of Russian war crimes during the war.
While Trump has sought to resolve the conflict since taking office, he has reversed US policy on Ukraine
and has taken a more favourable stance towards Russia. However, Trump’s approach has raised concerns for Ukraine and European allies.
The British Ambassador to the UN, Barbara Woodward, told the Council that peace terms in Ukraine are important and should “send a message that aggression does not pay”.
“There can therefore be no equivalence between Russia and Ukraine in how this Council refers to this war. If we want to find a path to sustainable peace, the Council must be clear about the origins of this war,” she said.
France’s ambassador to the UN, Nicolas de Riviere, whose president Emmanuel Macron met Trump in Washington on Monday, said that while France “fully supports peace in Ukraine, we call for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace and certainly not for the capitulation of the victim”.
“This war has never been just about Ukraine. It is about the fundamental right of any country to exist, to choose its own path and to live without aggression”, said Mariana Betsa, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, before the Assembly vote.
Meanwhile, Moscow’s ambassador Nebenzia reiterated the Kremlin’s position that the Russian invasion is justified to “de-Nazify” Ukraine and prevent the NATO alliance from expanding closer to Russia’s borders.
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